


Unbreakable

by IncendiaGlacies



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, RipFic, Timeship Week 2017, ouat AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 08:50:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12273012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: “Your King promised me payment from this village. The price to stop children fighting in a bloody Ogre War? A child’s life.” The Dark One chooses Jonas, and when Rip can’t let his son go, well that’s fine. Gideon will just take him too. She needs the extra help around the castle anyways.OUAT AU with Timeship as Rumbelle with a slight twist.Written for Timeship Week 2017. Day Five: AU





	Unbreakable

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AgentMaryMargaretSkitz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz/gifts), [TaleasOldasTimeandSpace](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaleasOldasTimeandSpace/gifts).



> This has been on my mind for ages and it's been completed for a while, and now I finally get to post it!
> 
> (For those of you who don’t watch OUAT, fairytale characters were cursed to live in our world with now idea who they are, taking away their happy endings. Timeship as Beauty and the Beast)
> 
> I know the characters are a little OOC, but in my defense, it's an AU.

_Enchanted Forest_

The dawn air was cold and crisp, the sun’s rays barely even touched the ground. But the impeding sense of doom was enough to keep everyone wide awake. The village was gathered around in the center, everyone had been harshly awakened and brought out for a town meeting. The children were divided between silently standing in fear and asking a thousand questions at once. Jonas fell in the latter.

“But why do we have to stand out in the cold, Daddy?” Jonas tugged again at his coat.

Rip sighed and pulled his son to his side, rubbing an arm up and down his body to keep him warm, “Because the King is coming. And we’ve been asked to. We do as we’re told.”

“Your boy’s right if you ask me,” a woman spoke up from behind him, “This is madness. We’re in the middle of an Ogre War. You know they’re coming to take more kids to fight.” Rip glared at the woman as her words scared Jonas. She shrugged in response and continued, “I’m just saying, it’s the King’s job to defend us. Not the other way around.”

She stopped her nonsensical prattling as a carriage pulled into the opening. As the guards got off their horses, a hush fell over the crowd. The carriage opened and King Noah stepped out. A completely cloaked figure exited as well, the hood pulled low so no one could see a face. They didn’t need to see her to know who – or rather what – she was. She was the Dark One, Bringer of Curses and Death. Everywhere she stepped, misery was sure to follow. Mistress of Darkness and Death. Everyone knew who she was, though few had ever actually seen her. It seemed the village was in for quite the surprise.

“Citizens,” the King’s voice boomed, “I have good news, the Dark One has promised to help us win the war.” There was a slight scattered cheering among the crowd but not enough for the ‘good news’.

“You can’t do that! Everyone knows she makes deals, she won’t help us for nothing!” one of the women in the crowd spat.

The Dark One threw back her hood at the insult. Her mousy brown hair was a tangled, matted mess curling around her head. Her large eyes seemed to glow yellow in the sunlight, standing out against her leathery greenish-grey skin. She peeled off her gloves, revealing the same scaly skin on her hands, complete with dirty fingernails. What stood out most though, was the maniacal grin on her face.

“No, no, my darling,” she tittered, “Not for free. You’ve got that right. No, all magic comes with a price. And your dear King has assured me this lovely village is more than willing to pay.” The crowd seemed to collectively flinch back as parents grabbed their children close to them. They all heard the rumors – the Dark One stole babies from the cradle if left unattended. It was a tale of caution used on the children: Hurry back, or the Mistress will get you.

“You shouldn’t be dealing with dark magic anyways!” a shout came from the crowd, “And now you’re going to make us pay for your mistake!”

“Who dares disobey their King?” Noah boomed. The guards grabbed the treasonous man from the crowd and brought him to his knees.

The Dark One examined her nails in disinterest, her eyes flashing at the act, “Dearie, I’m on a bit of a schedule. Reprimand your subjects on your own time. Not now. If you don’t want an ogre problem anymore, I believe you have your end of the deal to hold up.” She walked over slowly to the treasonous man, just in front of Rip and Jonas. Rip could see a heeled boot step out as she stood in front of the downed man. She bent over him and hissed, “For the record, dark magic is your only hope right now. I don’t see any fairies jumping to save your life, do you? At least I always keep my word. Same can’t be said for others.”

“What’s wrong with your skin? Why’s it look like that?” Jonas asked aloud. Rip shoved his son back, but it was too late, the Dark One looked up and saw where the comment came from.

“Like what?” she growled as she stepped up to him, bending down to get to eye level. Rip kept a tight hold of his son’s shoulders. His heart was beating rapidly, it was too late to hide Jonas behind him. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to his son.

“Like that,” Jonas pointed at her face, “It’s like a lizard’s.”

“Didn’t your parents ever teach you pointing is rude?” she responded.

“Daddy taught me to always tell the truth,” Jonas said.

Her eyes flashed up to look at Rip who did his best to stay calm under the scrutiny. She addressed Jonas again, “Might have also thought to teach you some manners.”

Jonas ignored the comment and – to Rip’s horror – reached out for her face, “Does it hurt like that?” The Dark One flinched back and stood up immediately, her cloak covering her up again. Rip could see her widened eyes, and if he didn’t know any better, he would have said she looked scared. But the Dark One would never fear a child. Not when she could turn him into a slug and step on him. Rip shivered unconsciously at the thought.

“Mistress,” Noah spoke tentatively, “Perhaps we should-”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she snapped at him, “And don’t interrupt my conversations” She returned to the center of the clearing and spoke to the group at large, “Your King promised me payment from this village. The price to stop children fighting in a bloody Ogre War? A child’s life. Now, which one of you wants to give up your little brats?” All the parents shook their heads, fathers stepping in front of their children while mothers broke down sobbing and hugged their young.

“Oh, no one?” the Dark One pouted, “Well then, looks like it’s my choice. Come on then.” Rip felt the tug before he realized what was happening.

“Daddy!” Jonas screamed as an invisible string pulled him towards the evil sorceress. He dug his boots into the dirt but it did no good, he rolled out into the open in front of her.

“No!” Rip yelled as he ran after his son. He threw himself on top of Jonas, refusing to let go. “Please, please. He’s my son. He’s all I have left. You can’t take him from me!” Rip pleaded with her.

Rip felt cold metal against his throat and looked up to find a guard with a sword at his neck. “Up!” he barked, “The Mistress has spoken. You must comply or-” The guard’s eyes widened as his sword coiled up, turning into a snake which slithered up his arm. He gave a yelp of terror as he fell backwards and the snake slithered over him and away.

“You’ll do well not to speak for me,” the Dark One told him coldly, sending a glare in the King’s direction. She turned to Rip, “Now I may be dark, but I’m not unreasonable. I’m surprised your mommy isn’t so desperate about your leaving.”

“Don’t have a mommy,” Jonas told her.

“Mistress, our deal-” the King spoke before he started choking.

“Did I not tell you before to stop interrupting my conversations?” she hissed at him, “It’s like you don’t even want my help. Now, where was I? Ah yes, so you don’t want to let your son go. That’s fine, you can come too! I could always use the extra help around the castle.”

Rip stayed on the ground, holding his son against him as she moved towards them. The King tried to speak up again, worrying about the details of his deal while she waved them off, “Yes, yes. You’ll win your little war. I got what I wanted anyways, and maybe something extra.” A wave of her hand and the storm clouds in the sky disappeared and the sun shone brightly overhead. “Congrats on your little war!” she cackled at the village. She placed her hands on Rip and Jonas, a cloud of smoke enveloped them and whisked them away.

Rip coughed when he felt solid ground underneath him again. It felt like flying, or what he thought flying would be. Weightless, like falling out of a tree. He wasn’t entirely sure he could even stand up with the way his head was spinning.

“Give it a second,” she spoke quietly, “First time travelling by magic is always a bit much. But welcome to your new home!” She fanned her arms out dramatically as she showed off the Dark Castle. Rip stood up slowly, Jonas by his side. The young boy looked around the room with wide eyes and an open mouth.

“We get to live here?” Jonas asked awe struck.

“Oh how precious,” she grinned at him, her eyes shining in the light.

“Jonas, I think our accommodations might be slightly different,” Rip told his son quietly.

“You think correctly. That’s a first,” she quipped.

“Look,” Rip readied himself to bargain. He knew the Dark One loved deals, and he would do anything to protect his son, “Please, Mistress, do whatever you want with me. Just please, please don’t hurt my son.”

She looked at him with crossed arms. He could see the humor dancing in her eyes, of course a child’s life would be funny to her. But it was his son, Rip couldn’t let anything happen to him.

“Gideon,” she finally said, “My name. Since you’re clearly staying, I’m not overly fond with the Mistress business. But I do love it when they stand quivering in their boots. Feel free to continue to do that. Want to see your room?” She began walking down the corridor without waiting for a response.

“I heard that if someone says your name three times then you appear right in front of them. Does that work? Because I wanted to try it but Daddy wouldn’t tell me your name,” Jonas piped up again before Rip could stop him. Gideon looked back and threw Rip a look of interest.

He stayed silent for a moment, but she continued to stare at him, so he figured she wanted an explanation. Rip bit out, “I wasn’t too fond of the idea of my son summoning the Dark One. Besides, I didn’t know your name. Most people are too scared to say it.”

“Good,” Gideon said, “Idiotic stories, all of them. Haven’t had time to deal with them all, and so they still persist. How would I know if someone was saying my name anyways?”

“Because you’re magic,” Jonas responded simply.

Gideon laughed, “Precious little boy, that’s not how it works.”

“Jonas,” Rip spoke up, “His name is Jonas Hunter. And I’m Rip Hunter, since you hadn’t bothered asking.”

“Why would I ask something like that?” Gideon stopped and whirled on them as they came to the end of the hall. She got close enough so that Rip could make out that her eyes weren’t really yellow, they were grey. “You don’t give names to things you don’t plan on getting attached to.” She snapped her fingers and the door opened, “In you go now.” Rip felt himself pushed off his feet by some invisible force as he and his son fell into the prison cell.

“You can’t just keep us here!” he yelled at her.

“Watch me!” she laughed and clapped her hands as the door slammed shut behind her. In the darkness, Rip gathered his crying son into his arms. This was to be the rest of his life.

* * *

 

“And you’ll do the laundry. And the cooking. I expect the castle to be cleaned regularly,” Gideon continued the ‘tour’ as she spoke of Rip’s duties. Rip kept a tight hold of his son as they entered the dining room. “Now then, tea? I like it hot!” She took a seat at the table and waited. Rip nodded, turning to leave, taking Jonas with him.

“Leave the boy,” Gideon said. Rip tried to argue but she simply laughed at him again, “Oh don’t worry. I’m not going to eat him.” She gave Jonas a onceover, “I doubt you’d be tasty anyways.”

When he opened his mouth to argue again, Gideon glared at him with narrowed eyes. Rip nodded once, not wanting to anger her further. He placed his son in the seat, leaving an empty chair as a buffer between him and the Dark One. Gideon clearly noticed but didn’t care, she rolled her eyes at him before waving him away. Rip hurried to the kitchen – barely remembering where it was in the maze of the castle – and worked quickly to make the tea. When he finally returned to the dining room, he found his curious son assaulting the sorceress with a million questions.

“But you have magic, why would you need Daddy to do all that stuff anyways?” Jonas asked. By his whining tone of voice, Rip surmised that this wasn’t his first time asking it.

“Because that’s not how magic works,” Gideon grinded her teeth. Rip could see her fingers digging into the table, seeming to scratch away at the wood.

“Tea,” he announced as he set the tea on the table, trying to distract her anger from Jonas.

“Well, serve it,” Gideon ordered. Rip nodded once.

“Well what about-”

“Is that all you know how to do, child? Ask questions all day?” Gideon cut him off.

“No,” Jonas whined.

“Of course not, I forgot your favourite word. ‘No’,” Gideon mocked the child, “Go help your father.”

“Or what?” Jonas contended.

“Jonas,” Rip warned his son.

“Or I’ll turn you into a toad,” Gideon threatened.

Rip watched his son’s eyes grow, clearly thinking turning into a toad sounded like fun. Rip didn’t share his sentiments. “You’re not turning my son into anything!” he snapped at her.

Gideon looked up at that, clearly seeing the stubborn look on his face. She smiled wickedly, “Well maybe I’ll turn you into one instead.”

“Don’t hurt my son,” Rip pleaded quietly again.

The smile slipped off her face as she spoke, “Tea. Now.” As Rip moved towards her, Jonas decided he would actually try to help his father and got up to do so. Rip tripped as Jonas pushed his chair out, and the teacup fell with a clatter.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Rip looked down at the teacup. It was chipped. Jonas bent down with his father to help him clean up, only to cut his thumb on the shard as he did so.

“Ow, Daddy!” Jonas whimpered. Rip took his son’s hand in his and picked up the teacup slowly. Gideon arched an eyebrow at the two of them.

“I’m sorry,” Rip apologized as he stood up and placed the teacup on the table, “It’s, it’s a little chipped. But you can hardly see it.” He didn’t want her anger to be directed to his son, not over a teacup.

“Very sorry,” Jonas repeated solemnly, looking at her properly like his father had always taught him to do when he apologized to someone.

“Well it’s only a cup,” Gideon frowned in confusion, “And I still need tea. Get to it.” She gestured Jonas towards her. Rip reluctantly let his son go under Gideon’s gaze. He maneuvered around to pour some more tea, watching as Gideon placed his son in the chair next to her.

“Clearly you’re better off just staying in a sedentary position,” she waved her hand over his and watched as the cut healed itself, “There. Better?”

Jonas nodded before eagerly asking, “Instead of a toad, can I be a bird instead?”

“What?” Gideon blinked at him.

“I want to be a bird. I want to fly!” Jonas said excitedly. Rip let out a breath of laughter as he watched the bewilderment on Gideon’s face.

“You ought to be trembling in your boots, not bouncing in excitement,” Gideon scolded him before snapping at Rip, “Honestly, what have you been teaching the poor child?”

“I teach him plenty,” Rip responded drily, “He’s curious. Can’t be helped.”

“So can I?” Jonas asked again.

“No. Turning you into an animal is a punishment, not entertainment. Well, other than for me. You don’t get to choose,” Gideon told him.

“Oh,” Jonas looked down disappointed. He looked up again with a bright smile, “Well can we do it for fun then?”

Gideon shrugged, “Alright.” She raised her hand causing Rip to yell at her and reprimand his son.

“You’re not turning him into anything! And you,” Rip turned to his son, “Stop asking her to use dark magic on you.”

“I could just turn him into a bird anyways. I’m an all-powerful sorceress,” Gideon reminded him.

“Then why haven’t you?” Rip challenged.

“Tea. Now,” Gideon responded. Rip sighed and placed the tea in front of her, careful to keep a berth of space between them. He ruffled his son’s hair, the boy was clearly put out by the lack of magic. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gideon wave her hand and tiny birds appeared above them, swirling around Jonas and making him grin, and then they disappeared again. Rip looked at her in wonder, all that to make his son smile? Gideon’s face remained impassive as she gripped her teacup and muttered, “Thank you.”

Rip blinked, she really wasn’t what he had expected, “Did the Dark One just thank me?”

“I thought I told you to call me Gideon?” Gideon blew at her tea and sipped it before grinning at him, “Besides, I’m evil. Not rude.”

* * *

 

_Legacy Point_

“Jax, I’m not saying you’re insane, but I don’t believe it,” Sara sighed as she sat down next to her friend. It had only been a few weeks since the young man had barged into her life, claiming she was some ‘magical savior’ and brought her back to a small town in the middle of nowhere. Sara still wasn’t entirely sure why she had agreed.

“Look, I know you think it’s crazy, but it’s true,” Jax insisted as he waved down the waitress, “They’re all cursed okay? They-”

“Were fairytale characters. Everyone. Oliver was Robin Hood. You were Pinnochio. Oh and before I forget, Laurel is my long lost sister. Do you realize how crazy that sounds?” Sara gave him an unimpressed look.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true!” Jax insisted.

Sara laughed at him, “Alright fine, whatever. If you were Pinnochio, shouldn’t you be happy that you’re a person now and not some wooden puppet? And have the same name?”

“We’ve been over this, writers in this world screwed with the names and some of the stories, but it’s all still true. Just a little twisted. And I am happy to be human. But I also miss my family,” Jax sighed, “I’ll make you believe me one day. I need you to.”

“Alright,” Sara rolled her eyes, seeing how upset her friend was now, “I’ll play your game. If everyone’s a fairytale character, who’s…she?” Sara pointed at a beautiful woman, sitting alone at one of the booths. Her long brown hair gleamed in the sunlight. She was covered head to toe in black. A black jacket on top of black skinny jeans, paired with black boots. And Sara was fairly certain those were black leather gloves to the side. The woman didn’t look like she even owned a motorcycle. Sara craned her neck a little and found that the woman at least had a splash of colour with the red top she was wearing under the jacket. Suddenly the woman looked up and locked eyes with her, Sara blushed as she turned away hurriedly. When she glanced back again, the woman was sipping from her cup and flicking through the newspaper in front of her. She was the only one at the restaurant sitting alone.

“So who is she?” Sara asked Jax again, doggedly.

“That’s Ms. Rider,” Lily said as she came over to them. She leaned against the bar and returned Jax’s smile, “She owns like half the town, but you wouldn’t know it. Have you not met her yet?”

“We’ve crossed paths a couple times,” Sara admitted, “She doesn’t talk much. To anyone.”

“No,” Lily agreed, “Mostly just keeps to herself. Now what can I get you? Mom’s got a special milkshake on the house if you like?”

Jax read off the orders they wanted – making sure to add on the milkshake – and watched Lily leave. When he turned back to Sara, she was grinning at him.

“Awww, does little Jax have a crush on the waitress?” Sara teased.

“Ew! No!” Jax shook the thought out of his head, “I think she’s like my sister or something.”

“What do you mean you think?” Sara frowned as she looked between Lily and Jax. They didn’t really look alike.

“I mean back in the Enchanted Forest, my father was-” Jax didn’t get to finish whatever fantasy tale he was spinning in his head. A crash in the restaurant drew both their attentions. Ms. Rider had tea all over her jeans, a broken cup on the ground and a little boy looking down sheepishly.

Sara looked at the guardian of the child – Amaya – as she pulled him away from Rider. Amaya quickly apologized, “We’re so sorry, he didn’t mean to. Jonas, apologize to her.”

“I’m sorry,” Jonas said quietly to the ground.

“It’s alright. It was just a cup and some tea,” Ms. Rider responded. She bent down a bit to get to his eye level, “Are you alright?” When Jonas nodded, she continued, “And you know, it’s always proper to look at the person you’re apologizing to.”

Jonas looked up at her and apologized again, “Sorry.”

She smiled at him, “That’s better. Be good.” She stood up straight and nodded at Amaya, all hint of a smile gone. If Sara hadn’t watched it happened, she wouldn’t have thought the woman was capable of smiling. Ms. Rider’s eyes wandered around the restaurant, stopping on Jax for a fleeting second before she turned and walked out of the restaurant. Sara watched as Amaya let out a breath and joined them at the bar with Jonas.

“Sorry about the mess, Lily,” Amaya called.

“Not a problem, I’m just glad it didn’t lead to anything worse,” Lily smiled, “What do you want munchkin?”

“Hot chocolate,” Jonas responded happily.

“Coming right up,” Lily grinned.

“What did she mean?” Sara asked Amaya, “That it could have been worse?”

“Ms. Rider isn’t exactly known for her kindness. She keeps mostly to herself, and she likes it that way. Hates to be bothered by anyone. She’s been known to have a temper. Luckily, she always has a soft spot for the kids. Especially, well, orphans.” Amaya said the last part quieter as to not alert Jonas. Sara nodded in understanding, Amaya and Kendra and the other nuns looked after the orphans, but that didn’t make them their moms. Sara would know.

“So who is she?” Sara repeated her question.

Jax frowned at the now empty street where Ms. Rider had gone. He shrugged, “I don’t know everyone.”

* * *

 

_Enchanted Forest_

“I am just saying, I don’t think it’s appropriate to leave my son alone in a place that is literally called ‘The Dark Castle’. What if he gets into your room of forbidden items again?” Rip grumbled as he kept up with Gideon.

“Well then maybe you should have taught him more about privacy and following the rules,” Gideon pinned the blame on him.

Rip refrained from rolling his eyes, even after all the time they had spent around each other, there was still something to argue over. There always was with the Dark One, Rip assumed.

“I still don’t think it was a good idea. Just because you got bored and wanted to go to the market,” Rip argued.

Gideon stopped and turned to him so he could see her face under her hood. Out in public she always covered up: cloak, boots, gloves. She had it all. She was only slightly better in the privacy of her own castle. “You have separation anxiety, you are worse than a mother bear. You are the one that said we needed more food and that the brat needed something that wasn’t magical to keep him entertained,” Gideon reminded him.

“Perhaps if you would let us out without supervision every once in a while,” Rip gritted his teeth ignoring her name for his child.

“I don’t think you understand how this whole prisoner of war thing works,” Gideon smirked at him.

“I don’t think you do either,” Rip muttered under his breath. If anyone had told him that living with the Dark One would entail having his own private quarters and a library for Jonas he would never have believed them. Yet here they were. He doubted those were the usual forms of torture, but Jonas had a way of wearing Gideon down for some reason. And occasionally, Rip liked to think he had that effect on her too.

“Hush, I can still turn you into a-”

“A toad?” Rip remarked drily, “Have you considered a different type of animal? Or are toads simply the easiest thing to do?” Gideon positively glared at him. But Rip was still a human so he supposed he hadn’t completely managed to piss her off just yet. He wondered if he ever would.

“Just come on. You want to get back to your precious son, don’t you?” Gideon huffed and walked ahead of him again. Rip shook his head at her but followed easily. Gideon kept to the edges of the crowd, trying her best not to draw attention to herself. He didn’t know how to tell her that the cloak wasn’t helping much. Rip did all the talking at the market stalls as they made their way through. It was towards the end of the street where Rip found Gideon lingering, staring longingly at the dresses. They were beautiful ball gowns, embroidered with gold, sparkling in the setting sun.

“Would you like me to ask for their prices?” Rip murmured as he got close to her. He knew she would never do it herself, lest she reveal herself. Gideon flinched at the sound of his voice and stepped away.

“Don’t be silly. They’re all far too garish, where would I wear it anyways? Stupid, honestly,” Gideon muttered under her breath and stepped away from the stall. Rip knew without looking that she was looking at the ground. Rip sighed but let her lead the way to the next stop. Before they could make it though, Rip heard screaming down the alleyway and followed the voice. Gideon huffed but trailed after him.

“Hey! Get off of her!” Rip yelled as he saw a group of three men crowding a young woman against the brick wall. Her coat was on the ground, tears streaming down her face as the leader pinned the woman’s arms above her head.

“Or what?” the leader taunted Rip.

“Or I will make you,” Rip replied coldly. He watched as the man stepped away from the woman and walked towards him slowly. He was twice Rip’s size. It was times like this Rip wished he still had his sword. Hand to hand combat was never easy for him.

The man chuckled looking at him, “I don’t think you can do anything.” He eyed Gideon, still cloaked from head to toe, “But if I can’t have that girl, maybe you’d spare your wench.”

“What?” Rip glared at him. Surely he couldn’t mean?

“Oh come on, how much did you pay for her? Can’t you spare ten minutes?” the man smirked at him.

Rip’s hand clenched into a fist as he dug his heels into the dirt. Before he could strike, Gideon side stepped in front of him, pulling off her gloves and throwing down her hood. Her eyes danced with delight as the man began to cower in front of her, “Exactly what services were you hoping for? I do love a good deal!”

“No, no, I didn’t mean,” the man’s voice shook with fear as he begged on his knees.

“You didn’t mean what?” Gideon circled him like a hawk on it’s prey, “What, now that you’ve seen me, you don’t think I’m pretty enough?”

“No-”

“No I’m not?” Gideon pouted playfully, “What about your boys?” She turned to them and grinned wickedly, “What do they think?”

“I – I, you’re,” one of the others tried. He stumbled back and fell as Gideon stalked towards him.

“You’re pretty,” the leader spoke up again. Rip watched the man: his eyes closed, face scrunched up in disgust. Gideon turned to look at the cowering man.

“Am I?” she asked mischievously.

“Y-yes. You’re very beautiful-” he gasped as Gideon plunged her hand into his chest and pulled out his heart.

“If there is one thing I hate more than pigs like you, it’s a liar. Now let’s try again, do you think I’m pretty? Tell the truth now.” Gideon commanded as she held his heart.

“I – no, no, you’re hideous,” the man cried.

“And why is that?” Gideon asked quietly.

“You – you’re – you look like a snake.” Rip looked down at that, remembering the whispers that had spread in his own village. How the Dark One had skin like a snake, ready to shed any day. How she looked more reptilian than human – if she even was. Rip knew she hated the comparison. He watched as the man began to choke, tears in his eyes, face turning red. He looked at Gideon and saw her glaring at the man, squeezing his heart in her hand. Squeezing the life out of the man.

“Mistress, stop. Please,” Rip asked quietly. Names were important to Gideon. He knew if he had any chance of her doing what he said, he couldn’t reveal her name.

“Why?” Gideon asked nonchalantly, squeezing the heart even tighter.

“Because no matter how bad he is, he doesn’t deserve to die. Surely you have more creative punishments?” Rip tried an alternative approach.

Gideon turned and gave him a smile, the scary kind, “Don’t ever tell me what to do, Darling.” Without looking she slammed the heart back into the man’s chest. He gasped for air, crawling for safety. “I wouldn’t bother if I were you,” Gideon leisurely waved her hand and all the men turned into pigs, “There, now everyone can see you for what you really are.” She narrowed her eyes at one of them, “Except you.” Another wave of her hand and the pig slithered into a snake. “There. Now scram. All of you.” She conjured up a fireball and launched it at them, having them scatter in fright. Only oinking and hissing could be heard as the animals escaped the alley.

“So you can do something other than toads,” Rip teased from behind her.

“I thought I told you to shut up?” Gideon sighed, though Rip could still see her lips twitching upwards in a smile. Gideon turned back to the young woman, now quietly whimpering, and stepped towards her. Immediately the young woman scooted back against the wall in fear. Gideon froze in place.

“Please don’t,” the young woman cried.

“Oh stop your pathetic crying, little girl,” Gideon snapped at her, “Just go. Go.” The last part was said quietly. The girl looked at her in confusion before scampering away as well. Rip watched as Gideon pulled her gloves back on, eyes on the ground.

“She ran away,” Rip said quietly.

“Of course she ran away. Did you not hear them? I’m hideous.”

Rip looked at her incredulously, “You can’t honestly care what men like that think of-”

“I don’t!” Gideon yelled at him. “Of course I don’t. That would be stupid. But it’s what everyone thinks anyways,” the last part came out as a whisper. Gideon shook her head and moved on, “Still, at least the girl had some proper sense; she was scared of me. Everyone is. Except for you and your little brat.” Rip sighed as she changed the subject. “Done with your shopping now? I’m tired and want to go lay down.”

“No, no, you go ahead. There’s something I forgot. For Jonas,” Rip said, “Don’t worry, I’ll walk back.”

“See that you do,” Gideon looked at him suspiciously, “I suppose I’ll go make sure your offspring hasn’t killed himself yet.”

“Don’t turn him into anything or do magic of any kind around-”

Gideon walked dangerously close to him, leaning in inches away from his face as she whispered, “Didn’t I tell you already? Don’t tell me what to do.” And with that Rip coughed as Gideon disappeared in a cloud of black and purple smoke.

* * *

 

“What the hell is this?” Gideon yelled as she barged into the library. The doors banged against the wall from the force of her push. Jonas looked up from the book he and Rip were reading together to see Gideon holding a beautiful ball gown.

“That would be a dress,” Rip commented drily.

“I know what it is-”

“Then why did you ask?” Jonas asked. Rip nodded along with his son.

Gideon growled at them both, “I asked because it was on my bed. What was it doing there?”

“I put it there,” Rip answered easily.

“This was your extra errand?” Gideon’s eyes widened in anger, her voice going shrill, “You said it was for the brat!”

“Stop calling him that. And it is. Sort of,” Rip shrugged, “I thought tonight, we could dress up for dinner. Jonas would love that, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes!” Jonas agreed.

“Well it’s not happening. Why were you even in my wing anyways? That place is restricted to you!”

“And yet I make your bed every day and clean your room once a week,” Rip responded as he flipped the page. He looked at her again, “Wear the dress. You know you want to.”

“If I wanted a pretty dress then I would have just magicked it up myself.”

“But you never will because you don’t think they’re meant for you,” Rip told her kindly, watching as Gideon spluttered. He had seen how she looked at the dress longingly, how she always covered up when leaving the castle, how hurt she was when people looked away from her face. Even in her home, all the mirrors had either been broken or covered up.

“Please Gideon?” Jonas asked sweetly.

Gideon huffed at them, “Dinner had better be amazing!”

“It always is,” Rip bantered with her. Gideon waved her hand as she stalked out of the room. All the books on the top shelf fell to the ground. “Oh, very mature!” Rip yelled at her retreating figure. Gideon merely laughed in response.

But two hours later she was dressed in the ball gown, descending the main staircase. Her hair was piled up into an extravagant hairstyle (Rip imagined most of the time was spend on her hair) and the golden yellow dress shimmered with every step she took. Her arms were bare for once and Gideon clearly missed the extra layers as she fidgeted to cover herself up some more.

“I look ridiculous,” she announced as she arrived at the bottom.

“You look beautiful,” Jonas corrected.

Gideon eyed him, “Didn’t your father ever teach you not to lie?”

“Of course I did,” Rip dismissed, “He’s not lying. He would never do that to you.”

Gideon gave him a look of disbelief but chose not to comment. She hummed as she eyed the blue dress coat Rip had donned, “Well at least you’re both dressed up as well. Where’s dinner?”

“We’ll get to it, but first. Jonas, would you?” Rip looked at his son.

“You’ve made him your accomplice in all this!” Gideon accused as Jonas nodded and ran across the room to get the music box.

“Every fancy dinner has dancing,” Rip held out his hand for her.

“I don’t dance,” Gideon crossed her arms.

“Well maybe you’ll let me lead,” Rip offered. Gideon snorted at that. But a pleading look from Jonas had her sighing and tentatively holding out her hand for Rip to take.

“I don’t like this,” Gideon said as he took her in his arms. A hand on her waist, the other gripping Gideon’s hand. She was only just barely grasping his shoulder. The less contact, the better.

“The dancing? Touching me? Or just the general concept of being nice?” Rip asked.

“All of the above!” Gideon answered heatedly. Rip smiled at her and pulled her closer to him by her waist. He squeezed her to him as he picked her off her feet and twirled around with her in his arms. A breath of laughter escaped from her lips as he set her down again, leaning in and touching his forehead to hers. Gideon closed her eyes as she relaxed against him.

It only lasted a second before she flinched back and tore away from his arms.

“I’ve had enough now,” Gideon stated coldly as she stood a good distance away from him. Behind her, Jonas was pouting.

“Gideon,” Rip tried to step towards her.

“No. I’m done. Dinner now,” Gideon said. Rip tried again but she stepped away from him, “Dinner. Now.” Rip nodded, that was that. As he turned, he could see Jonas scurrying over to Gideon to engulf her in a hug of his own. He knew she would make a show of pulling Jonas off of her when he got back. But he hoped that for now, she would let his son comfort her. Maybe he’d take the long way to the kitchen.

* * *

 

_Legacy Point_

“Oh look! It’s my sister! You know the one that is apparently nearly thirty years older than me, but since time was frozen we’re now nearly the same age,” Sara turned to Jax with a grin on her face.

“I can hear the sarcasm in your voice,” Jax stuck his tongue out at her. He turned back to the bar to wave down the bartender before continuing, “And it is true. Laurel’s your sister. You’ll believe it at some point. Some bonds are just unbreakable.”

“That would make the town drunk my father,” Sara jerked a thumb to the alcoholic sitting down the bar. The bartender glared at the alcoholic, looking like he was about two seconds from throwing the drunk out.

“Quentin wasn’t always like that,” Jax argued, “He was a good king and-”

“And I am a fairy princess,” Sara mock curtsied at him.

“Kendra’s the fairy,” Jax muttered. It wasn’t likely he would forget his fairy godmother, she was the one who made him human in the first place.

“Hey, what are you guys talking about?” Laurel asked as she joined them at the bar, “Sorry I’m late by the way. Got tied up at work.” She glanced in the direction of her father and decided she wouldn’t bother with him tonight. Tonight was a night out with her friends, not dealing with her drunken dad.

“It’s fine, I was just listening to Jax’s stories again,” Sara rolled her eyes at him.

“Oh yeah, the one where Caitlin’s an Ice Queen-”

“She wasn’t always!” Jax interrupted.

“And Barry was a cricket. And we’re sisters!” Laurel smiled at Sara who laughed along with her.

“Fine, whatever,” Jax grumbled, “Yo, bartender, can we get some attention here?”

“I have a name, it’s Michael,” the bartender wandered over to their section. He ran a hand through his hair and beard and looked at them in disinterest. “What’ll you have? If you’re even old enough to drink?” he eyed Jax over.

“You want ID?” Jax offered.

“Like I care what you get up to. We’re the only bar in town, I can’t say I really give a damn what you kids do,” Michael shrugged, “Now, what’ll you have?”

He took their names and drinks and turned away to the next patron. Sara watched him walk over to her in annoyance.

“You planning on paying this time?” Michael asked her.

“You realize technically speaking, I own this place?” Ms. Rider taunted him, “I own you.”

“What do you want, Ms. Rider?” Michael gritted his teeth.

“A drink,” she smiled at him, her eyes lighting up. Michael huffed in irritation and made to move away, clearly not interested in playing any games. Sara watched the smile slip off Ms. Rider’s face as she stopped him, “A beer will be fine. Thank you.” The bartender raised an eyebrow at the curtesy but nodded before wandering away again. Sara watched as the woman reached out a hand towards him before dropping it and covering her face in defeat. How interesting.

Eventually Laurel and Jax drew Sara back into their conversation; they were currently discussing Len and whether he really believed in the fairy tales like Jax did or if he was just playing along. Only a few minutes after Michael had placed their drinks in front of them, the calm was disturbed.

“I said, leave me alone,” Ms. Rider’s steely voice drifted over to where Sara was sitting with her friends. She looked up at that and saw a man towering over where the other woman was sitting. Her fingers gripped the bar’s edge, her eyes firmly on the beer in front of her. The man had a hand on her arm, clearly not understanding her wish to be left alone. Sara looked around for help and saw the bartender watching the scene with a look of amusement.

“Hey!” Sara yelled at the man. She walked up to him, ignoring Laurel’s warnings, and poked him in the chest until he let go of the brunette, “She said to leave her alone.”

The man laughed at her, “And what are you going to do about it?”

“I happen to be sheriff here,” Sara adjusted her coat to show off her shiny badge, “Now, let’s try again. You gonna leave or do you want to spend the night in the prison cell we have?” The man raised his hands in surrender and backed away, grabbing his circle of friends, and exiting the building.

“You okay?” Sara turned to Ms. Rider. The woman was pulling together her valuables clearly meaning to leave as well.

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine. Thank you for the assistance, Ms. Lance,” she nodded at Sara.

Sara turned and glared at Michael, “Yeah, with no help from you. What kind of place are you running here?”

Michael rolled his eyes, “She seems fine. Besides, I can’t imagine he’d actually try anything on her. Far too much effort.” He looked over Ms. Rider’s outfit, clearly commenting on all the layers she was wearing. Sara watched as the woman’s eyes dropped to the ground. The sheriff grabbed the untouched beer and upended it onto the bartender’s face. “What the hell?” he yelled at her.

“You should consider yourself lucky that that’s all I did instead of bringing you down to the station,” Sara yelled back.

“On what grounds?” he demanded.

“On grounds of being an asshole!” Sara glared at him. Beside her Ms. Rider pulled out a handkerchief and tossed it at the man.

“I don’t need you to fight all my battles. You’ll do well to leave me to my own business, Ms. Lance,” Ms. Rider told her coldly before leaving as well.

“Well that was a hell of a thank you,” Laurel commented as he and Jax walked up behind Sara.

Michael rolled his eyes as he cleaned himself up, “Don’t know why you’d expect anything more. She’s never made any sense.”

* * *

 

_Enchanted Forest_

The prison door banged open, startling Jonas as Rip held him in his arms. He could barely make out Gideon’s face in the dim moonlight that came through the barred window. Rip slowly rose to his feet, taking Jonas with him and holding him close.

“Get out,” Gideon said tersely.

“What?” Rip breathed, staring at her.

“You heard me. Leave.”

“Gideon, please,” Rip stepped towards her, trying to calm her down.

Gideon stepped away, “No. Not anymore. Go!”

“Why?” Jonas asked, “I don’t want to leave.”

“Well that’s too bad, because I don’t want you anymore. So I’m kicking you out,” Gideon avoided eye contact with the boy.

“You’re lying,” Rip shook his head at her.

“Don’t tell me what I’m doing!” Gideon glared at him.

“You’re just scared of actually feeling something for once,” Rip accused her.

“I’m not scared of anything,” Gideon chortled, “I just realized that having you here, it’s been keeping me from my true potential. I’ve gone soft.”

“You’re scared of actually being human under all that darkness,” Rip waved vaguely at her presence.

“No, I’m not.”

“You could have been happy, if you were just willing to take a chance-”

“Shut up!” Gideon growled at him.

“But we love you,” Jonas insisted as he held onto his father’s hand, his face still wet with tears.

“No, you don’t,” Gideon hissed at him, “No one could ever love me!”

“If you gave us a chance,” Rip tried.

Gideon walked straight up to him, far too close in his personal space, and whispered, “I’d rather have my power.”

“Under all the theatrics and magic, you are nothing but a scared, pathetic, little girl,” Rip spat at her.

“Get out. Now,” Gideon seethed.

Rip glared at her one last time, taking Jonas by the hand and ignoring his son begging Gideon to let them stay. He stopped at the door and faced her one last time. She didn’t look at him, her eyes fixed on the ground, her expression blank. Rip spoke anyways, “The sad thing is, that you could have had power and happiness. You just can’t believe that we could love you. And now all you’re going to have is a ball gown with no one to wear it for, a chipped cup with no one to share with, and an empty heart all to yourself.”

Gideon listened as Rip dragged Jonas along, his footsteps and Jonas’ arguing, receding in the distance. Once they had gone, she collapsed to the ground, closed her eyes and just breathed. Alone again.

* * *

 

_Legacy Point_

“Please, please, he can’t die,” Sara begged, “He’s my best friend.”

“I’m sorry,” Doctor Palmer apologized again, “There’s nothing we can do.

“Sara, you have to let him go now,” Michael urged softly over Mayor Frost’s crying.

“No, no, I can’t,” Sara smoothed Jax’s forehead, “I love you, Jax. You’re my first and bestest friend.” Sara leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She felt it rather than saw it. A wave of love resonated from them, crashing over the entire town. A blast of wind rushed out, pulsating across them all. Then Jax gasped awake. “Jaxie!” Sara laughed with tears in her eyes.

Jax sat up slowly and threw his arms around Sara, “Aww, look at you, crying over me. I knew you’d believe me eventually. I love you too by the way.”

Sara giggled and pulled away, looking around at the stunned faces in the room, “Jax, what’s happening?”

Jax looked around as well, “I think you broke the curse. You did it, Sara! You broke the curse!”

“Yes, she did,” Kendra stepped forward. She turned to Caitlin, “If I were you, I’d be somewhere else, Your Highness.”

Caitlin’s eyes widened as she realized what this meant for her. She shook her head, “No, no.” She turned to look at Jax, reaching over and touching his arm, “I know it’s hard for you to believe, but I am sorry. For everything. I would never let anything happen to you, Jefferson.”

“I know. I do believe you. Now go,” Jax told her. Caitlin nodded, tears in her eyes, before disappearing from the room.

“Hey wait!” Sara yelled as she realized people were buzzing around and leaving the hospital, “Michael, where’s everyone going?”

“Not Michael. Rip, Rip Hunter,” Rip corrected her, shaking his head. He had to find Jonas. Now. “I’m sorry, I have to go.” Jax pulled the wires off his chest against Sara’s protests and pulled on a shirt. He grabbed her hand and the two of them followed Rip out of the hospital.

“The curse broke,” Jax told her, “Everyone’s going to be looking for their loved ones.”

Sara followed the two of them, watching the entire town mill around them. People were crying and laughing and hugging each other. She could hear everyone calling out names, a cacophony of noises. She asked, “Michae – sorry, Rip. Who are you looking for?”

“My family,” he answered succinctly. Apparently Rip was less talkative than Michael. Or maybe just distracted. Sara watched as he scrutinized the crowd, clearly searching for someone. A lover perhaps? Though, Sara knew Michael was never the kind to have any attachments, he was a free spirit. But maybe the curse had changed his personality and Rip had someone. Then she heard it.

“Dad! Dad! Daddy!” a boy yelled as he ran into Rip.

Rip laughed as he held his son, laughing with tears in his eyes, “Jonas! Jonas, oh my son.” He pulled Jonas away from him, stared at him for a moment before pressing the boy against him again, “Oh look how much you’ve grown. And I missed all of it. I’m sorry, so, so sorry.”

“You’re a father?” Sara whispered getting Rip’s attention, “But you hate kids!”

Rip glared at her, “Michael hated kids. I love them, especially my son.” He turned back to his child, “I love you, I love you so much.” Sara exchanged a look with Jax, the both of them contemplating their friend as he pressed kisses to his son’s hair. Then Jax’s eyes caught something in the crowd.

“Dad,” he breathed. He grabbed Sara’s hand as he ran to an older man – Martin was his father! “Papa!” he flung himself into the man’s arms. The white haired man grunted but returned the hug dearly.

“Oh Jefferson, all grown up now. And you brought back the savior. You saved us all, I could not be prouder of you, son,” Martin placed his hands on Jax’s shoulders. Sara was pretty sure her friend was tearing up, she’d have to tease him about it later.

Somewhere near them, Sara saw Jonas tugging on his father trying to convince him of something. Sara listened in on the boy talking, “Dad, come on! We have to find Gideon. We can’t leave her, we’re a family.”

“Jonas, she doesn’t-”

“Yes she does! She didn’t mean it, she was angry, you said so. And she’s sad without us. Please, Dad? I don’t want to lose another mother again.” Rip sighed but nodded at his son. He let Jonas take his hand and drag him over to meet Amaya properly.

Sara stopped paying attention after that. Across the street her eyes locked with Laurel’s. She could barely comprehend the tears in the woman’s eyes before she was on top of her, arms holding Sara in a hug. It was the first time Sara had ever felt at home.

* * *

 

Rip stepped into the shop behind his son tentatively. The bell gave a ring signaling their entrance. He shifted nervously from foot to foot. He already had a million things running through his mind. Was Jonas okay? Where would they live now? Was Jonas going to be alright apart from Amaya or did Rip have to do some sort of shared custody? How much did Jonas remember of time being frozen?

And now they were going to meet Gideon, properly. They already left the Enchanted Forest on bad terms, and then for the past twenty-eight years he had been cruel to her. He hoped she didn’t have her memories the entire time. From the back of the store they heard a frustrated sigh before she stepped out into the open. Rip had seen her many times already – she had been frequenting his bar a lot lately, ever since Sara came to town. She would sit and tease and taunt him, and he had just wanted her gone.

It was strange how different she looked from her other self. Her usual messy hair was tangle free and glossy even in the dim lighting. Her skin wasn’t scaly but smooth and pale, though she still covered up as much as she could. But her eyes, her eyes were the same beautiful grey they always were. She was still the Gideon they had known.

She barely looked up as she came to the front of the shop shouting at her visitors, “Does no one understand the meaning of a closed sign in this town, anymore? Ms. Lance, I already told you-” She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at them wide eyed and slack jawed.

“Gideon!” Jonas exclaimed.

“You, you know who I am,” Gideon whispered, reaching out for them slightly before dropping her hand. Rip could hear her voice break as she looked from Jonas to him and back again.

Rip took a step towards her, counting it as a victory when she didn’t run away, “Sara broke the curse. Of course we know who you are. You’re Gideon. The Dark One. You’re the Mistress of Darkness and Death. And the woman I love.”

“You do?” Gideon’s voice shook with emotion.

“Obviously. We love you,” Jonas confirmed.

Gideon gave a wet chuckle, “Even after everything I said and did?”

“It’s not like I was much better under the curse,” Rip admitted, silently begging for forgiveness for his own actions.

“You were cursed. I don’t have the same excuse I’m afraid,” Gideon looked down as she wrung her hands.

“We know you didn’t mean it. Did you?” Jonas asked, suddenly afraid.

“No, no. I didn’t mean it, of course I didn’t,” Gideon was quick to try and make amends as she bent down slightly to address him at eye level, “I was just being mean.”

“It wasn’t very nice of you,” Jonas lectured her solemnly.

Rip and Gideon exchanged a look. Rip bit his lip to hold back his laughter while Gideon’s eyes shone with delight, “No, it wasn’t nice of me at all. And I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry Jonas. I do love you.” Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but it was steady and sincere. She looked up at Rip then, “I love both of you.”

It was enough for Jonas as he threw himself onto her, arms clinging around her middle. Gideon stumbled back but tentatively wrapped her arms around him as well. Rip stepped forwards and gathered the both of them in his arms. Gideon tucked herself in against his body while Jonas was sandwiched in between the both of them. It was a perfect fit.

Something in the window caught Rip’s eye. There was purple smoke rolling towards them in the distance. “What the hell is that?” he asked out loud.

Gideon looked in his line of direction, a slow smile spread across her lips, “Magic. It’s coming back.” She crept closer to the window, looking every inch the powerful being she was. And extremely dangerous, Rip remembered vaguely. And yet…

“So what happens now?” he asked as he took Jonas’ hand and stepped next to her, “The curse broke. Do we finally get our happy endings now?”

“Perhaps,” Gideon looked down before facing him. A look of nervousness in her expression and sheer hope in her eyes, “Or maybe a happy beginning?”

Rip stared at her intensely, considering her offer. But there was nothing to consider, they had made their choices long ago, some bonds were unbreakable. No matter what had happened. Rip conferred silently with his son, Jonas simply nodded once, making Rip grin. He pulled Gideon towards him and caught her in his arms, ducking down and finally kissing her properly. Gideon responded easily, allowing him to take control for once and press her as close to him as he wished. It was perfect.

He leaned back slightly as he heard Jonas make a noise of annoyance, he let out a slight chuckle at that. Gideon kept her eyes closed, still leaning into him, a soft smile on her face. Rip tucked a stray hair behind her ear and pressed his forehead to hers as he corrected her, “A very happy beginning, together.”

**Author's Note:**

> I am also really proud of this fic and I’m definitely going to be adding to this universe. So feel free to kudos or comment and let me know if you like it or not? Thanks for reading!


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